Fairy Tales
by strawberry.ragdoll
Summary: Rise wants to fall in love, and Naoto has never loved anyone before. Sometimes romance really is that easy.


_A/N: I was experimenting again... My voice is not very like Naoto's. At all. And I've been a little rusty, so I figured, why not just jump right in?_

Rise is beautiful.

She has red hair, fair skin, and perfect, rosy lips. Her eyes are captivating, her smile is charming, and her laugh is heartbreaking. It is obvious why she was an idol: Rise has a way of mesmerizing people.

I say this not as an outsider, but someone very much fascinated by her. Sometimes, I see Chie hug Yukiko and wonder how it feels to hold someone that vulnerable. To hold someone and feel that vulnerable. And Rise always finds her way into that daydream.

Do not misunderstand me, this is not a crush – nothing of the sort. It certainly sounds like it, but it can't be. Time is not sequential when I am with her, and it bothers me. One minute she is smiling at me and the next moment I am catapulted back three weeks when she held my hand to show me something-or-another, and when I reach out to touch her hair I am met with air. It is three weeks forward again and she is staring at me, laughing and saying, "You're so weird, Naoto-kun," as I grasp at nothing.

Anyone that hypnotic cannot be treated lightly, especially by someone of my circumstance.

:::::

I knew it was strange that everyone wanted to go on a nature walk to this site above Inaba. We always did more exciting activities in more conspicuous areas. My suspicions only grew as Chie and Yukiko said they had dinner reservations somewhere. After that, Souji and Yosuke just remembered that they had a thing to do at the place. Trailing after them was Kanji and Teddie, the former muttering to himself, "Is everyone in this town gay…?" They, apparently, needed no excuse.

They had left us alone. Now, I can hear my heart beating so fast that I feel my chest might burst. _Not a crush, _I say once to myself, and it becomes my mantra as it slows my heart. _Not a crush. Not a crush._ I cannot stand to watch her, so I turn around and lean against the railing. "It's, umm." I stop, unsure of what to say. "It's… nice up here," I finish.

"Yeah," she says from behind me. I can hear her shift and pad towards me. She comes to my side and leans against the railing, standing too close for comfort. Do not pay such close attention to her arm pressing against yours. Do not document every breath she exhales.

This is unlike me.

"The town looks so different from up here." I am barely paying attention to her face when she says this, so my head snaps up. I find myself staring at her lips as every new word forms. "All of the troubles seem so far away."

I cannot help it, but my cheeks flush. _Not a crush._ Quickly deciding that at this point, nothing coherent could come out of my mouth, I turn my head away from her and say, "Hnh."

It is silent for a few minutes before I hear her say, "Naoto-kun?"

I turn around. "Wha—"

In that moment, Rise presses her lips against mine, and I am completely lost. I do not know who I am, where we are, or when this is, but I know it is me, here, right now. When she ends it, I am blushing furiously and trying to hide it. She puts her hands on the back of my head and pulls our foreheads together. Her eyes are closed.

"I… really like you," she says softly, and her cheeks are just a light pink.

I hesitate. There is nothing more terrifying than taking the plunge, yet, according to some, nothing more rewarding. I take her hands off of my head and just hold them. She does not open her eyes, so I lean forward, and this time the kiss is even better. As we stand there, I am oblivious to time passing at all.

When we part, she smiles and kisses me one more time, a mere peck on the lips. While I am distracted by her smile, she leans over and takes my hat.

I chase her around the wooded area, and it does not feel like a detective chasing an idol. It feels like a teenage girl chasing a teenage girl. As I catch her around the waist, and she tries to escape, giggling all the while, I realize that this is much more than a friend holding a friend.

Now Chie is not the only one with a princess.

**fini.**

_please read, critique&review_


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